Uzbekistan's First Nuclear Reactor to Launch in 2029

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The technical launch of the first small modular reactor at Uzbekistan's nuclear power plant is scheduled for October–November 2029. This was announced by Azim Akhmedkhodjaev, Director of the Agency for Atomic Energy ("Uzatom"), in an interview with the YouTube project Alibaev.Politika.

According to the published schedule, the second small reactor will be brought into operation six months after the launch of the first.

The launch of the first large power unit is planned for 2033, with completion of the entire project set for 2034–2035. The full implementation of the project, which is unique for the global nuclear industry, will thus take about six years from the pouring of the first concrete this year.

The nuclear power plant will be located in the Farish district of Jizzakh region and will include four power units at a single site: two VVER-1000 reactors with a capacity of 1 GW each, and two RITM-200N reactors of 55 MW each. This combination of large and small modular reactors at a single site has no equivalent anywhere in the world. The plant's total installed capacity will be 2,110 MW, with annual output of up to 17 billion kWh of electricity.

Akhmedkhodjaev drew a notable comparison: with Uzbekistan's power system having an installed capacity of around 30 GW and annual output exceeding 80 billion kWh, the nuclear plant's share of capacity will be less than 8%, yet it will provide about 20% of the country's current electricity output. "So 8% will produce 20% — in current conditions," he explained, pointing to the high capacity utilisation factor of nuclear units compared with other types of generation.

The base construction cost of the integrated nuclear power plant will not exceed US$9.5 billion. The project will be financed mainly through borrowed credit funds, with partial participation from the state budget. At the ceremony marking the pouring of the first concrete, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Uzbekistan would receive a concessional export loan for the construction of the plant. Rosatom has taken on obligations for the supply of nuclear fuel, technical maintenance of the plant, and management of spent nuclear material.

Responding to questions about the pace of construction, Akhmedkhodjaev stressed that the project is being implemented according to the established timeline, but that priority is unconditionally given to safety rather than speed. "This is a nuclear power plant for decades to come. Its life cycle depends on how correctly we do everything in accordance with standards," he said. IAEA experts regularly visit the site, with two inspection missions planned this year.

The head of Uzatom also outlined the long-term outlook. He said the successful launch of the plant's first stage would create the basis for further development of nuclear energy in the country, in line with a statement made by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"We are confident that after the successful implementation of the first, small-capacity stage of the plant and its practical application, we will receive instructions to move forward," Akhmedkhodjaev said, adding that nuclear energy would take its rightful place in the country's overall energy balance.